NYXL Nickel

I've been playing guitar for around 20 years and have tried a huge range of brands and gauges, which isn't much fun to think about. D'Addario NYXL strings are not a budget option at all, especially when you're looking at it's competitors, which can be anywhere between £3 - £7 cheaper than a set of NYXLs. Quick interjection with a note: If you're short on time, feel free to scroll down to the TL:DR section, where I round it up in a shorter take. There will be people that would of course want to spend less, and find the price point here laughable. I'd like to tell you why I think the NYXL strings hold their own and my own thoughts surrounding a value element. This is based around trying 7 different in recent years, across multiple guitars. Firstly, I am not a guitar or string snob! One of my favourite guitars cost me around £60 second hand. My big brand expensive "Dream guitars" got sold in the end. I do appreciate the finer things, but there's a balance to be had, and I'm not about to let money be wasted. Packaging: NYXLs come in what can only be described as a luxury feeling card envelope. It's good quality and the branding is impressed in and coloured. It's packaging though right? You won't be playing using that, but it's certainly a nice touch. The strings are in their own plastic bag inside and aren't individually packaged, like other brands. This isn't a bad thing. The strings are just fine and the packaging lets you know which string is which, with a gauge and ball end colour chart. Most will know without checking that, but some might find it tricky if you're perhaps stringing often, or new to the instrument. Either way... it's simple, no drama and well presented. Also, on the plastic bag that holds the strings, there's a "Players Circle" code, to be redeemed on the D'Addario site. Every time you buy, you can collect the points to build up enough to buy things, and increase customer status. I currently have enough to buy some strings, but I'll keep going. At the time of writing this, points do NOT expire each year, so you can just keep topping them up until you have enough for something you'd like. It seems bonus points do can expire though. My last bonus gave me 90 days. Either way, the points I got from actual purchases remain. Okay, I've waffled on a fair bit here. I'm not a professional reviewer, just someone that types too much. The Strings: I'm not going to break this down for each gauge that I've bought, mainly because my experience is consistent, which is what keeps me coming back. Tuning stability - Once they're on, stretched a little and tuned up. They stay there very well indeed, especially on hardtail instruments, which obviously makes sense vs a floating tremolo. That said, I have an Ibanez RG1070pbz that I thrashed about with the trem and it stuck that tuning extremely well too. I've not had a single set that have performed any differently when it comes to holding tunings! Feel - Under the fingers they feel great and you can really tell they're built to last. The unwound (GBE) strings are very well made. I find them robust and very smooth to move around on. I've genuinely never felt that with any other brans. Yes, other brands are just fine and don't really hinder playing at all, but NYXL just have this extra element that I've not felt with others. Longevity - As stated before, I'm not a gigging musician, but I do play guitar 30-60 mins most days and find myself changing strings pretty infrequently and usually it's not because the strings are done. It's normally me experimenting with different set-ups and tunings. If I were to put an average on how long they last for me I'd say at least 7-10 months on the guitars I use the most. I always play with clean hands and wipe the strings down after, something that players should be doing regardless of the strings you use, to help stop dirt build up and sweat from sitting and corroding them. Breakages - I can't comment here, as I've only ever broken one and it was my fault. My guitar with EMGs in had a loose wire that I had to push back in. This is on a Strat... I loosened the strings and lifted the pickguard to do this, but I had to take the battery out. I accidently bushed the battery contacts on the high E and... Well, yes. Instant melt, haha! That would happen with any string, so that's not at all a quality thing. Daft me! I've spoken online to a few people and they share my thoughts and also poked fun at me for my 9v battery mishap. I did just buy a replacement high E for a few pounds, which sorted me out quickly. Overall, I find it hard to use any other strings now, as the D'Addario NYXLs are very consistent and offer great playability. I do on occasion buy lower priced strings, although it would depend on the guitar they're going on, or if I wanted to try a gauge that I'm not familiar with, so I can try at a lower price point. If you're thinking about these, then I'd advise giving them a go - Just buy a single pack and see what you think. As I say though, they're super consistent. TL:DR Pros: Good quality Packaging Players Circle points with every pack Premium feeling strings Last a long time Only broken one string, which was totally my fault Consistent quality across several gauges Cons: They are pricey compared to other well known brands. Would appreciate a more stable price point on Amazon (See below) Tips: If buying from Amazon, then prices do fluctuate. I often check back in case there are any that are on a good offer. You'll likely find most between £10-£14 for the more common gauges. That's not to say the ones at £14 go down to £10 or anything, it's just a rough band of prices that I've seen. I have paid £14 :05 for the12-54s just yesterday and I'm happy with them. Hopefully I haven't bored you, I just like to write and help. If you found this useful then please vote accordingly. If not... Then of course vote down. I wouldn't want to invest the time doing something that others didn't like/want Thanks

Great strings, first time buying as i previously used another popular brand, but these won me over. They come in nice packaging and there are colour coded rings at the end so you know which string is which. They feel great to play, seem to stay in tune well, durable as i havent had one snap on me yet! I signed up to subscription.

What a great set of strings! Not only a great value for their cost, they hold brilliant sustain. They’re so warm to listen to, and feel amazing. They’re function as they should, and you can tell that they’re quality strings. They were easy to fit, and great for bending, as they’re 9’s, so their weight is just right.

Great product. Used different strings for years and changed to these as I was sent some to try. Since then I have changed all my guitars to 9-42 of these. I know they are expensive compared to other makes but the feel, tone and playability are fantastic.

Best strings ever. Used to break strings regularly but these have been on my for months..

I prefer soft strings and that model fits perfectly to me. The sound is very cool and the string won't rape your fingers because they are very soft

Been using these strings for years….the best

Sound very good on my new MIM telecaster. Had a couple of string breaks on full step bends - maybe I tightened the newly installed locking tuners too severely, as I haven't had breaks with thicker NYXLs.